Urinal attachment for toilet bowl



NOV. 26, 1968 M JR 3,412,408

URINAL ATTACHMENT FOR TOILET BOWL Filed July 1, 1966 3 Sheets-Sheet, 1

JOHN H. MICHAL JR.

"\JIO FIG.5 BY

ATTORNEY Nov. 26, 1968 J. H. MICHAL, JR

URINAL ATTACHMENT FOR TOILET BOWL 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 1, 1966JOHN H. MICHAL JR.

FIG.I8

ATTORNEY 26, 1953 J. H. MICHAL, J R

URINAL ATTACHMENT FOR TOILET BOWL 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed July 1. 1966FIG. l2

FIG.I3

FIG. l5

mvsm'oa' JOHN H. MICHAL JR.

FIG. I? BY ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,412,408 URINAL ATTACHMENT FORTOILET BOWL John H. Michal, Jr., 2467 Auburn Road, York, Pa. 17402 FiledJuly 1, 1966, Ser. No. 562,349 14 Claims. (Cl. 4-99) This inventionpertains to a urinal attachment for conventional toilet bowls and, moreparticularly, a urinal attachment which is intended to supplement theuse of the toilet bowl but, in general, for purposes of ultimatedischarge as well as flushing purposes, such attachment utilizes theflushing water supply and discharge facilities of the conventional flushtank and toilet bowl of the type in wide conventional use at present.

As is well known, the normal toilet bowl has a seat thereon usuallydisposed substantially at a level which is at a comfortable height whenan individual is seated thereon. However, the rim of a conventionaltoilet bowl normally is at a level which is highly unsuited for use forurinary purposes alone, particularly for adult male individuals whilestanding. This unsuitability arises from the fact that very substantialsplashing usually occurs which normally is unnoticed but nevertheless isabsorbed by legs of trousers for example. Further, objectionablecascading noise usually accompanies such operation and particularly whenexercised under family situations immediately adjacent sleepingquarters, annoyance as well as embarrassment frequently results.

Further, it is well known that in the vicinity of five gallons of waterusually is required to flush a conventional toilet bowl, yet theflushing of the same after a single urinary use not infrequentlyconstitutes a waste of water, especially in times of dry weather.

Relatively ineffective and crude attempts have been made previously toobviate the nuisance, inconvenience and embarrassment referred to abovethrough the provision of auxiliary or supplementary urinal facilitiesassociated with a more or less conventional toilet bowl. According tothe prior art, these facilities, for the most part, have constitutednon-readily replaceable discharge conductors or conduits, wherebyobnoxious and unsanitary conditions resulted, coupled with the fact thatmost of these attempts in the past have been unaccompanied by suitableflushing arrangements.

It is the principal purpose of the present invention to provide a highlyeffective, sanitary, inexpensive, and easily operated urinal attachmentfor conventional toilet bowls which is capable of being installedreadily relative to existing toilet bowls and arranged to providerelatively noiseless use thereof, simple and effective flushing means,and sanitary, expendable and easily disposable conduit means whichresult in the elimination of any obnoxious odors without incurringsubstantial expense.

Another object of the invention is to provide, essentially, a bowl-likeurinal arrangement adjustably positionable at a suitable height toeliminate the possibility of any appreciable splashing and, in additionto having desirable flushing facilities, the urinal bowl has dischargemeans which drain into the conventional toilet bowl, so as to minimizethe plumbing requirements to install such urinal attachment and alsopermit extensible and retractable movement of the urinal attachmentbetween operative and inoperative position, whereby the attachment, whenin inoperative position, may be enclosed within an appropriate housingso as not only to render the same aesthetically acceptable but alsominimize the possibility of objectionable odors being noticeable.

A further object of the invention is to provide several embodiments offlushing means respectively manually operable and automaticallymechanically operable, as de- 3,412,408 Patented Nov. 26, 1968 sired,thereby to extend the acceptable period of use of the disposable"discharge conduit or drain duct before replacement of the same isrequired.

Still another object of the invention is to provide one embodiment ofmechanical flushing for the urinal attachment by connecting the same tothe conventional water supply system of a normal flush tank, wherebyflushing of the attachment occurs each time the conventional toilet bowlis flushed without requiring the discharge of additional water over thatnormally included in such conventional flushing operations of the normaltoilet bowl.

A still further object of the invention is to provide severalembodiments of inexpensive, disposable but highly effective drain ductswhich, in initial condition, may be flat and compactly packaged so as toprevent no serious storage problem as well as permit ready merchandisingthereof, and the means for attaching such duct to the urinal attachment,as well as positioning it relative to the conventional toilet bowl, maybe operated quickly and in a sanitary manner.

Still another object of the invention is to provide convenient bracketmeans to support the urinal attachment relative to a conventional toiletbowl and flush tank to permit both lateral extension and retraction ofthe urinal attachment between operative and inoperative position andalso provide ready vertical adjustment which quickly may be effected tosuit any particular user of the same for maximum efficiency and comfort.

Details of the invention and the foregoing objects thereof, as well asother objects thereof, are set forth in the following specification andillustrated in the accompanying drawings comprising a part thereof.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an exemplary embodiment of urinalattachment incorporating the prin ciples of the present invention andillustrated as being connected to a conventional toilet bowl and flushtank, shown in phantom, by one embodiment of bracket means utilizing theprinciples of the invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates, fragmentarily, portions of another embodiment ofbracket means shown in association with fragmentarily illustratedportions of a conventional toilet bowl and flush tank of the type shownin FIG. 1.

FIGS. 3 and 4 respectively are perspective views, respectivelyillustrated the urinal attachment of the type shown in FIG. 1 extendedto operative position and shown selectively as being supported adjacenteither the left-hand or right-hand sides of a conventional toilet bowland flush tank.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view similar to FIG. 2 and illustrating stillanother embodiment of supporting means for the bracket assembly of thetype shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is an exploded view showing, in phantom, pertions of aconventional flush tank having water discharge means used for flushingthe urinal attachment comprising the present invention connectedthereto.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged side elevation of a spacing member of the typeused in the arrangement shown in FIG. 6 for accommodating the waterdischarge mechanism to a conventional flush tank.

Fig. 8 is an exploded view of one embodiment of urinal attachmentemploying the principles of the present invention and illustrating theindividual components thereof primarily in vertical sectional manner,the drain duct in this elevation being cut away to partially foreshortenthe length thereof.

FIG. 9 is a vertical elevation showing a preferred arrangement ofsupporting bracket means capable of vertical adjustment relative to afragmentarily illustrated vertical support member.

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary elevation of a conventional water supply meansfor a typical type of flush tank commercially available and showingmeans to connect thereto one embodiment of water supply means for aurinal attachment.

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of another embodimentof urinal bowl attachment employing the principles of the presentinvention and showing the water conduit fragmentarily.

FIG. 12 is a front elevation of an exemplary type of cabinet-likeenclosure for the major portion of the urinal attachment embodying thepresent invention and illustrated in operative position with respect toa fragmentary portion of an exemplary flush tank shown in phantom.

FIGS. 13, 14 and 15 respectively are plan views of different embodimentsof exemplary disposable flexible drain ducts all made in accordance withthe principles of the present invention.

FIGS. 16 and 17 respectively are front and side views of an exemplarytype of attaching clamp for detachable engagement by any of theembodiments of flexible disposable drain ducts to secure the lower endthereof in operative position with respect to a conventional toiletbowl, the scale employed in FIGS. 16 and 17 being substantially greaterthan that in the preceding figures.

FIG. 18 is a side elevation showing exemplary means for connecting theurinal flushing conduit to a toilet bowl installation of the type usingpressure water rather than a flush tank.

Primarily for purposes of readily distinguishing the essential parts ofthe present invention from conventional toilet facilities with which theurinal attachment of the present invention is associated, throughout thefigures of the application, conventional equipment has, in general, beenillustrated in phantom, whereas the details of the various embodimentsof elements and assemblies of mechanism comprising the present inventionare shown in full lines. Referring to FIGS. 1, 3 and 4, there isillustrated therein, in phantom, a conventional toilet bowl 10.Connected to the rearward portion thereof in accordance with customaryprocedure and structure, and extending preferably upward therefrom is aconventional flush tank 12 upon which a removable cover 14 is mounted.Operation of the conventional flushing equipment within the tank 12 iseffected by means of movable lever 16 shown in FIG. 1.

One embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in differentpositions in the perspective views shown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4. Theseillustrations include one embodiment of relatively simple and highlyutilitarian bracket mechanism, details of which are describedhereinafter. The urinal attachment illustrated in these figuresprimarily comprises a structure generally designated as a urinal bowl 18which comprises a plurality of different elements which also aredescribed in detail hereinafter. The embodiment of bracket means 20shown in these figures permits movement of the urinal bowl 18 from thesubstantially retracted, inoperative position thereof shown in FIG. 1,respectively to several extended operative positions shown in FIGS. 3and 4, these views also showing the versatility of the structure by thearrangement in FIG. 3 being shown mounted adjacent the left hand side ofthe flush tank 12 while, in FIG. 4, the urinal bowl 18 is mountedadjacent the right-hand side of the flush tank 12.

Extending from the lower, discharge end of the urinal bowl 18 is apreferably flexible, disposable drain duct 22, of which there are aplurality of different embodiments respectively illustrated in FIGS.13-15. In FIGS. 1, 3 and 4, the duct 22 is of the type shown either inFIGS. 13 or 14, as desired.

For purposes of attaching the urinal bowl 18 to flush tank 12,regardless of which specific embodiment thereof is involved, a number ofdifferent embodiments of bracket means 20 are employed. Considering inparticular the specific bracket arrangement shown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4,it will be seen that a vertical hanger 24 has a hook 26 at the upper endthereof which extends over the upper edge 4 of one side of the flushtank 12. The lower end 28 of hanger 24 extends horizontally beneath thebottom of flush tank 12 and has a clamping screw 30 threadably connectedtherewith for clamping engagement against the bottom of tank 12, therebyfixedly securing hanger 24 with respect to the tank.

As best shown in FIG. 4, a pair of horizontal parallel bracket arms 32are pivotally connected at one end respectively to appropriateextensions on vertical hanger 24, the same being braced by verticalmember 34 extending therebetween and connected at its opposite endsrespectively thereto. Pivotally connected to the outer ends of bracketarms 32 is a U-shaped bracket 36, the bight portion thereof havingsuitable lateral extensions thereon which are directly pivotallyconnected to the outer ends of the arms 32. Extending between the outerends of the U-shaped bracket 34 is a vertical rod 38 upon which asupporting block 40, see FIGS. 1 and 3, is slidably movable andpositionable thereon at any desired vertical location by means of aone-way clutch 42, details of which are best shown in FIG. 9.

Fixedly connected to block 40 is an L-shaped bracket arm 44, the outerend of which extends laterally and is connected directly to a supportingring 46 having a laterally projecting car 48 thereon which directlyabuts the outer end of bracket 44 for connection thereto by suitablerivets, screws or the like. The opposite side of supporting ring 46 hasan appropriate manipulating handle 50 thereon by means of which theurinal bowl assembly 18 is manipulated for both projecting andretracting lateral movement toward and from fiush tank 12.

In retracted position, the arms 32 for example may be folded backwardlysubstantially quite close to the adjacent end of the flush tank 12 andthe U-shaped bracket 36 similarly is folded, laterally, close to thearms 32, whereby it can be seen that very little space will be consumedby the folded arrangement. When so folded, the entire bracket means 20and the urinal bowl 18 supported thereby may be housed Within anappropriate en closure such as cabinet 52, shown in FIG. 12.

Said cabinet preferably has readily operable front door 54 hingedthereto and an operating knob 56 facilitates the operation thereof toopen and close the door. When the door is opened, handle 50 onsupporting ring 46 is engaged by the operator, and the bracket means 20may be manipulated to readily extend the urinal bow] 18 to any desiredextended position permitted within the range of movement of the variouselements of the bracket means. When retracted into the cabinet 52however, the urinal bowl 18 and its supporting bracket means 20 offersno obstruction to normal use of the toilet bowl 10 for customarypurposes.

Several other embodiments of proposed supporting bracket means, inaddition to those specifically illustrated in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4,respectively are shown in FIGS 2 and 5. Referring to FIG. 2, a verticalpost 58 preferably has a suction cup 60 or the like in engagement withthe fioor adjacent the toilet bowl 10, the post 58 having an appropriatebracket 62 adjacent the upper end thereof for clamping attachment to oneedge of the rear portion of the toilet bowl 10 as clearly shown in FIG.2. Extending laterally from post 58 is a bracket arm 64 to which, forexample, the lower end of vertical hanger 24 of the embodiment shown inFIGS. 1, 3 and 4 may be connected suitably and thereby dispense with theclamping lower end 28 of vertical hanger 24.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the bracket arrangement therein alsocontemplates a vertical post 66 having a suction cup 68, for example, onthe lower end thereof engagement with the floor adjacent the toilet bowl10, the upper end of post 66 having an appropriate vertically movableabutting member engaging the lower surface of flush tank 12 frictionaly,either by means of a coiled spring within the post 66 which, forexample, may be hollow to accommodate the same, or otherwise. A lateralarm 70 is adjustably positionable upon post 66 for appropriateconnection to the lower end of vertical hanger 24 of the embodimentshown in FIGS. 1 through 4 for example, said bracket being connectedthereto by any suitable means.

Referring to FIG. 8, wherein an exploded illustration of a number ofelements comprising one embodiment of urinal bowl 18 is shown, it willbe seen that said embodiment comprises a circular or endless tube-likemember 72, which may be molded from appropriate plastic material, castfrom metal, or otherwise. The vertical dimension of the tube isrelatively short compared with the diameter thereof, whereby the sameprimarily comprises a collar having an enlarged upper end which projectsradially inward and is hollow to provide an annular cavity 74 therein.An inlet nozzle 76 communicates with the interior of cavity 74, and,preferably, a plurality of circular rows of inwardly and downwardlydirected discharge ports 78 are formed either by molding, drilling orotherwise.

Arranged in circumferentially spaced relationship on the inner surfaceof the lower portion of tube-like member 72 are a plurality of somewhatsloping projections 80 which comprise part of an interrupted ring whichare engageable with similar sloping projecting members 82 formed on theexterior of clamping ring 84 which is complementary to the inner surfaceof the lower portion of tube-like member 72 and is sufficiently long toproject a short distance below the lower edge of member 72 whenconnected thereto so as to permit manual engagement thereof forconnection and disconnection relative to member 72. The lower portion ofclamping ring 84 also tapers gradually inward toward its lower edge soas to be received in complementary manner against a suitable innersurface 86 of supporting ring 46, such engagement preferably includingreasonable frictional contact so as to releasably but suitably supportthe urinal bowl assembly 18, comprising the above-described elements,with respect to the bracket 44.

FIG. 8 also illustrates one exemplary embodiment of flexible, disposabledrain duct 22 which, as shown for example in FIGS. 13-15 may possess anumber of different forms within the spirit of the invention. Theparticular embodiment shown in FIG. 9 is similar to that shown in eitherFIGS. 13 or 14, the difference being primarily in regard to the mannerby which the lower end thereof is supported operably with respect to thetoilet bowl 10, details of which are set forth hereinafter.

In the preferred construction of the disposable drain duct 22, it may beformed from reasonably thin but tough plastic material of sheet-likenature and preferably capable ofbeing heat-sealed, especially ifinitially formed from sheet material folded upon itself and sealed, toform tube-like means. Being relatively thin by nature, such a duct maybe sold and stored in very compact folded or rolled condition. The upperend thereof, when mounted operatively upon the urinal bowl 18, extendsupwardly through the clamping-ring 84 and a limited amount of said upperend, such as about an inch or more, is folded downwardly and outwardlyover the upper edge of ring 84, as illustrated in exemplary manner inFIG. 8.

If preferred, interengageable snap-fasteners, not shown, may be used toeffect such connection, either in conjunction with or in lieu of themeans described in detail immediately above.

When so arranged, the clamping ring 84 then may be moved upwardly intothe lower portion of member 72 until the projections 80 and 82 areinterdigitated and then moved relative to each other circumferentially ashort distance sufficiently to lock the clamping ring 84 detachably withrespect to member 72. This simultaneously clamps the upper end of thedisposable drain duct 22 operatively with respect to the urinal bowl 18.The lower part of member 72 preferably is sufficiently long to obscurethe folded edges of ducts 22. When said arrangement is secured, it maybe lowered into the supporting ring 46 on bracket 44, for supportthereby. The provision of the ring 46 additionally affords comfort inchanging the drain ducts by making it unnecessary to stoop or bend whiledoing so. The height of ring 46 permits a person to stand erectly whileexchanging the ducts.

The lower, discharge end of drain duct 22, which normally may be inrelatively flat condition, thereby actually comprising a flattened tube,is disposed an appropriate distance into the interior of 'toliet ibowl10 as shown for example in FIGS. 3 and 4, whereby the same dischargesdirectly into toilet bowl 10. Due to the relatively flexible nature andlight weight of the drain duct 22, it necessarily must be securedagainst accidental dislodgement of the discharge end 90 thereof fromwithin the toilet bowl 10. To accomplish this, an appropriate auxiliaryclamp 92, somewhat resembling a bicycle pants clamp, and made preferablyof appropriate errosion resistant metal, plastic material or the like,is suitably shaped so as to be engageable at a desired location upon therim of a toilet bowl 10, as shown in exemplary manner in FIGS. 3 and 4.

The clamp 92 has an appropriate headed securing member 94 thereon. Alongone edge of the flattened drain duct 22 is an attaching tab 96 which maybe formed from the same material as the drain duct but preferably ofslightly thicker gauge sheet material. The tab 96 is attached such as byheat-sealing or cement to said edge of duct 22 and the outer end of thetab is provided with an appropriate slot 98 which is extended over thesecuring member 94 in a manner similar to extending a button through abutton hole so as to detachably secure the discharge end 90 of the duct22 in desirable position within the toilet bowl 10.

Further, in accordance with the principles of the invention, and byreference to FIGS. 13 and 14, wherein slightly different embodiments ofthe ducts 22 are shown and respectively identified as duct 22 and 22',it will be seen that a series of slots 98 are formed in longitudinallyspaced relationship along one edge of said ducts respectively upwardlyfrom the discharge ends 90 and 90' thereof. If preferred, suitablegrommets, not shown. may be used in lieu of slots 98 or suitablesnap-fastening means may be used on the ducts and clamp 92, such as thetype widely used on garments. By such an arrangement, after thepreferred vertical position of the urinal bowl 18 has been establishedwith respect to the vertical rod 38 of the bracket means 20 for example,the discharge end of the duct is established in operative relationshipwith respect to the toilet bowl so as preferably not to have any sag inthe duct of such nature that any portion thereof, especially during use,is below the level of the upper edge of toilet bowl 10.

To effect such desired adjustment in longitudinal position of the duct22 or 22 with respect to the bracket 92 and its securing member 94, adesired slot 98 of either of the embodiments of drain duct which areemployed is selected for attachment to the securing member 94. Undersuch circumstances, if there is an undue length of the discharge end ofthe duct extending into the toilet bowl 10, such excessive amountreadily may be removed by scissors or a knife.

Due to the fact that the urinal bowl 18 preferably should be of theorder of within the range of between 5 and 6 inches in diameter forconvenient use, it is obvious that the upper, entrance end of the ducts22 and 22' must be of complementary circumference. Panticularly tofacilitate the manufacturing thereof, the two embodiments shownrespectively in FIGS. 13 and 14 embody only a limited taper of the ductbetween the inlet ends thereof and the opposite discharge ends 90 and90' thereof. As mentioned in the foregoing, the cut edges of the foldedsheet material may be connected by heat-sealing, cement, or the like andsimilarly, :any extra strip which is to contain the slots 98 also may beattached thereto by the same means. However, as shown in FIG. 14, arelatively wide band 100 may extend along one edge of the duct 22, thesame being formed by heat-sealing the two adjacent edges of the oppositesides of the duct together for a reasonable width, thereby forming adouble thickness area within which the slots 98 readily may be formed.

Ducts of the type shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, which incidentally are alsoshown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4, might conveivably be too wide for convenientdischarge from the urinal bowl to the toilet bowl in that excess widthof said ducts might cause at least a certain amount of accumulation ofresidue therein which could contribute to objectionable odors, evenafter the ducts have been flushed. Accordingly, a further embodiment ofduct 22 is shown in FIG. wherein the entrance end 102 is substantiallyas wide as the entrance end of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 13 and 14,but said entrance end then substantially tapers inwardly a shortdistance beyond the upper, wide terminal end to a narrow width whichcontinues to the discharge end 90". An attaching strip 106 forengagement with member 94 is formed with a plurality of slots 98engageable with the headed securing member 94 of the bracket 92.

Another embodiment of means for attaching the entrance end of the drainduct 22 to the urinal bowl is illustrated in FIG. 11. In said figure thebowl comprises a preferably slightly tapered sheet-like band 108 whichis circular in cross-section and, in function as well as in shape,somewhat resembles the clamping ring 84 of the embodiment of urinal bowlshown in FIG. 8. Actually, the tapered band 108 resembles a short tubehaving a vertical dimension substantially less than the diameter. Anattaching car 110 extends radially therefrom, for example, forconnection to the bracket 44 as in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1.

The upper end of the duct 22 is complementary circumferentially to theinner surface of the band 108 which actually comprises the urinal bowland extends upwardly therethrough a limited distance to permit theterminal upper end of the duct 22 to extend downwardly, externally, overthe upper end of the band 108. A suitable securing means such as a widerubber band 112 may be employed at least to initially position the ductwith respect to band 108.

Further to clamp the upper end of duct 22 relative to band 108, a dualpurpose annular tube 114 is provided which has an endless passagetherein to receive water from inlet tube or pipe 116. If desired, asuitable notch, not shown, may be formed in the upper edge of band 108to accommodate tube 116 if desired to have it extend radially outwardfrom tube 114. Annular tube 114 has a series of water spray ports 118formed therein, directed peferably inwardly and downwardly asillustrated in FIG. 11 to flush the inner surface of the urinal bowlwhich actually comprises the tapered band 108 which is lined with theupper end of the drain duct 22. Circular tube 114 also is closelycomplementary to the inner diameter of the upper end of the band 108 sothat it can wedgingly and frictionally engage the inner surface of theduct 22 adjacent the upper end of band 108 and thereby serve in a secondcapacity to complete the clamping of the duct with respect to the urinalbowl while simultaneously serving to flush the inner surface thereof.

Referring to FIG. 6, wherein a conventional flush tank 12 is shown inphantom, the conventional water supplying means therefor also is showntherein in phantom. The normal water level 120 is illustrated inexemplary manner in FIG. 6. Water is introduced to the tank 12 by pipe122 which extends through the bottom of the tank and is connected to asuitable source of supply under pressure. Flow control valve 124 isconnected to the top of pipe 122, said valve being controlled inactuation by a conventional float lever 126 having the usual float onthe other end thereof as illustrated in FIG. 6.

Following a normal flushing operation of toilet bowl 10 the entire watercontent of tank 112 is drained for discharge into said bowl 10. Afterthis occurs, the outlet valve for tank 12, not shown, is closed and atthat time valve 124 is open due to the float on the end thereof beingdepressed into tank 12. While the tank is filling approximately to thelevel 120, a limited amount of water flows through an auxiliary pipe128, such as shown in FIG 10. Said pipe 128 is of limited diameter andthe discharge enters pipe 130 which communicates with the conventionalgooseneck passage, not shown, in the lower part of toilet bowl 10 forpurposes of establishing a conventional water seal therein. Thisarrangement is required due to the fact that the discharge from thetoilet bowl frequently occurs with such force and efiiciency that waternormally remaining in the gooseneck trap is drawn therefrom into thesewer. In order to re-establish the water seal, the aforementioneddischarge of water through pipe into the seal is provided. Thisarrangement is used to advantage in connection with providing flushmeans for the urinal bowl 18, several embodiments of the flush meansbeing illustrated in the drawings and described as follows.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the conventional auxiliary pipe 128,such as shown in FIG. 10, is replaced by a short tube or pipe and isconnected to valve 124 in place of said conventional pipe 128. The pipe130 extends to a T 132, the stem of which has a short tube 134 extendingtherefrom into pipe 130, while the other branch of T 132 communicateswith a flexible tube 136 of appropriate length to permit the outer endthereof to be connected to the inlet nozzle 76 on member 72 of theembodiment of urinal bowl assembly shown in FIG. 8. Any suitable form ofcontrol valve may be included in tube 136 to control the flow of watertherethrough, such as either a simple pinchcock 138 or a moresophisticated type of valve, not shown, but preferably manuallyoperable.

In order that the tube 136 may be installed in conventional type flushtanks 12, particularly so as to extend over the upper edge of the tankand not be pinched by the cover 14, it is contemplated that the presentinvention employ a plurality of small button-like projections 140, anenlarged view of one of which is shown in FIG. 7 and several of whichare shown in FIG. 6 attached to the upper edge of flush tank 12, such asadjacent the corners thereof, so as to elevate the cover 14 sutficientlyto permit passage of the tube 136 over the upper edge of one side oftank 12, for example. By such an arrangement, after the normal flushingof the toilet bowl 10 has been completed, for example, and also afterthe tank 12 has been refilled to its normal level 120, the supplementa ydischarge of water from valve 124 for purposes of ins ring the fillingof the gooseneck water trap in the bottom part of toilet bowl 10 also isused partially to flush the urinal bowl. This is accomplished by part ofthe water, which normally would be discharged into pipe 130, beingdiverted to tube 136 for discharge into the annular cavity 74 to flushthe interior of the urinal bowl assembly through the discharge ports 78in member 72.

Such flushing of the urinal bowl flushes down the inner surface of thebowl which actually comprises the inner surface of the upper end ofdrain duct 22, for example. The interior of the drain duct likewise willbe flushed and all of the flushed material will be discharged intotoilet bowl 10, thereby aiding in re-establishing the water seal in thelower part of toilet bowl 10. In effect therefore, such arrangementmerely divides the water intended for the water seal in the gooseneck ofthe toilet bowl and forms the same actually from opopsite ends of thewater seal. Obviously, during the flushing of the urinal bowl 18, thevalve 138 must be open. Further, under most conditions of operations,excepting for those mentioned hereinafter, the valve 138 may be in opencondition at all times, for practical purposes except, for example, whenreplacing the duct 22 within the urinal bowl.

Referring to FIG. 18, it will be seen that the urinal flushingarrangements of the invention also may be connected to flushing systemsof the pressure type now commonly used in hotels, motels and officebuildings. 'In the pressure type of flush system, water at city pressureis supplied to valve 141 which delivers water under pressure throughconduit 141a to toilet bowl 10a. Simply by drilling and tapping conduit141a and inserting a threaded nipple therein, shown in FIG. 18, theinlet end of tube 116 or 136 may be connected to said nipple to receiveflushing water therethrough. Thus, at least whenever the toilet bowl isflushed, the urinal bowl also will be flushed. Obviously, the urinalbowl also may be flushed, at will, by operating valve 141, this alsoflushing toilet bowl 10 as well.

A dual purpose cap or cover 142, which is cup-shaped, is illustrated incross-section in FIG. 8 and also is shown in operative, coveringposition in FIG. 1. The cover 142 also preferably has a handle 144thereon to aid in manipudating the same and especially in moving it frombowlcovering position as shown in FIG. 1, to inverted position, removedfrom the urinal bowl 18, as shown in FIG. 4. The cover may be formed,for example, by molding from plastic material. When the cover is incovering relationship to the urinal bowl 18, it serves several functionssuch as preventing the emination of any odor from the urinal bowl. Italso insures against any splashing from the bowl during flushingthereof. A still further function of the cover is to serve as acontainer for a suflicient amount of water, obtained from a wash basin,for example, which usually is adjacent the normal toilet facility. Inthe absence of any automatic flushing arrangement such as illustrated inFIG. 6, for example, or in addition thereto, the cover 142, when used asa cup, may be used to perform a satisfactory manual flushing of theurinal bowl and main duct 22.

Still another arrangement of automatic flushing arrangement isillustrated in FIG. 10 wherein the inlet tube 116 is connected to theend of the normal auxiliary pipe 128 conventionally carried by controlvalve 124 on the upper end of water delivery pipe 122 within theflushtank 12. The pipe 122 is shown in exemplary manner in FIG. 10a as beingunconnected to tank 12 but it will be understood that the operationthereof is in conjunction with the flush tank 12 under normalconditions. Float lever 126 operates in the usual manner and, upon thecompletion of the filling of the flush tank 12 to its exemplary normallevel 120 shown in FIG. 6, a supplementary amount of water will bedischarged through the conventional auxiliary pipe 120.

Normally the water discharging from pipe 120 would be introduced intothe pipe 130 shown in FIG. 6 for filling the water trap in the gooseneckin the lower part of toilet bowl 10. In the arrangement shown in FIG.11, tube 116, which is illustrated in broken manner therein, toforeshorten the same, is directly connected to the outlet end ofauxiliary pipe 128, whereby all of such auxiliary discharge passes intothe annular flushing tube 114 to flush the embodiment of urinal bowlillustrated in FIG. 11 but the flushing water in any event discharges tothe toilet bowl 10 and thereby flows into the sump therein comprisingthe water seal in the gooseneck portion of the toilet bowl. The finalrising movement of the float lever 126, during normal operation of aconventional water tank mechanism, discontinues the discharge ofsupplementary water through the auxiliary pipe 128 after a predeterminedamount has flowed therethrough. While the flushing of the embodiment ofurinal bowl shown in FIG. 11 occurs, the cover 142 of the embodimentshown in FIG. 9 for example may be placed over the upper end of theurinal bowl, especially to minimize any tendency toward splashing.

Notwithstanding the fact that flushing of the urinal bowl and especiallythe inner surface thereof, which is primarily composed of the upper endof the disposable drain ducts 122 or variations thereof, it isrecognized that flushing alone by water is not sufficient to ultimatelyprevent the occurrence of objectionable odor. The time interval requiredto reach this condition varies normally in accordance with individualuse of the urinal bowl and the care exercised in conjunction withflushing the same. Likewise care in regard to using the urinal bowl hasan effect upon how soon the bowl and drain duct will discharge odor tothe extent that it becomes objectionable.

The present invention, therefore, contemplates ready means for replacingthe readily disposable drain duct 22 and its variations such as thoseshown in detail in FIGS. 13-15. Such replacement and especially theremoval of a contaminated duct is accomplished with a minimum of effortand under generally sanitary conditions. For example, in regard to theembodiment shown in FIG. 8, it is only necessary to detach the clampingring 84 from member 72 and while holding the exterior part of the lowerportion of ring 84, the upper end of duct 22, which is folded over ring84, is raised upwardly and over the upper edge of said clamping ring.While still holding the ring 84 by the outer surface thereof in onehand, the operator engages the outer surface of the upper end portion ofduct 82 with the other hand and pulls it through ring 84. Then, by usinga paper napkin, paper towel or otherwise if necessary, the slot 98 inattaching tab 96 which has been engaging the headed securing member 94on clamp 92 secured to toilet bowl 10 is disengaged therefrom and thelower discharge end of the drain duct 22 is pulled from the toilet bowl10 and the entire duct is disposed within a suitable piece ofdiscardable paper such as newspaper, paper towel or the like with aminimum amount of unsanitary contact of the used duct by the hand of theoperator. Following such removal of the used duct, a new duct is mountedin place relative to both the urinal bowl and toilet bowl by theprocedure outlined above.

In the embodiment of urinal bowl shown in FIG. 11, it is merelynecessary to unclamp the upper end of the used duct 22 by pulling theannular tube 114 therefrom, removing rubber band 112, and while stillengaging the outer surface of the upper end portion of the used duct 22,pull the same from the band 108 comprising the main portion of thatembodiment of urinal and after the lower end portion of the used drainduct is removed from the securing member 94, the entire used duct may beremoved and discarded in the manner described above with respect to theembodiment shown in FIG. 8.

While the invention has been described and illustrated in its severalpreferred embodiments, it should be understood that the invention is notto be limited to the precise details herein illustrated and describedsince the same may be carried out in other ways falling within the scopeof the invention as claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. A urinal attachment for a conventional toilet bowl, havin a flushtank mounted adjacent the rear thereof and connected thereto inconventional manner to flush the bowl, said urinal attachment comprisingin combination, a urinal bowl having a discharge opening in the bottomthereof, bracket means to which said urinal bowl is connected forsupport thereby, means to support said bracket means adjacent saidtoilet bowl and flush tank, a flexible disposable drain duct connectedat the inlet end thereof to said discharge opening of said urinal bowland extending downwardly therefrom to dispose the discharge end thereofin the toilet bowl for discharge thereinto, and means detachablysecuring said drain duct adjacent its discharge end to said toilet bowl.

2. The urinal attachment according to claim 1 in which said flexibledisposable drain duct is formed from thin impermable plastic materialand comprises a sleeve open at the opposite ends thereof.

3. The urinal attachment according to claim 1 in which said urinal bowlcomprises a sleeve which is short relative to the diameter thereof,means connecting said sleeve to said bracket means, and a clamping ringcooperable frictionally with said sleeve and the upper end of saidflexible disposable drain duct to clamp said upper end of the drain ductcircumferentially around said sleeve in water-tight relationshipthereto.

4. The urinal attachment according to claim 3 in which said meansdetachably securing said drain duct to said toilet bowl comprises aclamp attachable to the rim of a toilet bowl and coengageable means onsaid clamp and drain duct to connect the same to each other tooperatively position the lower end of said drain duct within said toiletbowl.

5. The urinal attachment according to claim 1 in which said bracketmeans comprises a member connected to said urinal bowl, a support memberpositionable stationarily relatively to said toilet bowl and flush tank,and horizontally extensible and contractable means interconnecting saidmembers to 'permit the urinal bowl to be extended to operative position'and retracted to inoperative position while supported by said bracketmeans.

6. The urinal attachment according to claim 5 in which said horizontallyextensible and contractable means also includes a clamping membervertically movable relative to said stationary supporting member topermit vertical positioning of the urinal bowl to a desired height ofoperational position.

7. The urinal attachment according to claim 1 further including anenclosure for said urinal bowl and bracket means, supporting means onsaid enclosure connectable to said flush tank for support thereby, and amovable door on said enclosure arranged to be opened to permitwithdrawal of said urinal bowl to operative position.

8. The urinal attachment according to claim 1 in which the urinal bowlwhen in use has an open upper end and said attachment including a covercomplementary to the upper end of said urinal bowl and operable toengage the same to close the opening therein when not in use.

9. The urinal attachment according to claim 8 in which said cover forsaid urinal bowl is cup-like and inverted over the bowl when enclosingthe same, said cover also having a capacity suitable when the cover isdisposed with the open end uppermost to contain sufficient water toserve to manually flush said urinal bowl by pouring the water withinsaid urinal bowl and then being inverted and placed in closing positionover the upper end of said urinal bowl to close the same.

10. The urinal attachment according to claim 1 further includingflushing means extending circumferentially around the interior of saidurinal bowl and having discharge ports spaced circumferentially anddirected downwardly into said bowl, and water conduit means connected atone end to said flushing means and at the other end being connectable tothe water supply means for said flush tank of said toilet bowl andoperable to receive flushing water therefrom when said toilet bowl isflushed.

11. The urinal attachment according toclaim 10 in which said toilet bowlhas a gooseneck water trap and said flush tank has a bypass dischargetube of conventional type to deliver water to said gooseneck of thetoilet bowl to form a water :trap, and said water conduit means beinginterconnected to said bypass discharge tube to receive flushing Watertherefrom when said toilet bowl is flushed and thereby bypass saidflushing water into said toilet bowl to supply the gooseneck water traptherein.

12. The urinal attachment according to claim 10 in which said flushmeans in said urinal bowl comprises an endless tube in which saiddischarge ports are formed, said tube being complementary in shape tothe interior of said urinal bowl and operable to frictionally engage thesame for support therein when :the upper end of said flexible drain ductis disposed around the interior of said urinal bowl, whereby saidendless tube frictionally engages the inner surface of said drain ductto clamp the same with respect to the urinal bowl.

13. The urinal attachment according to claim 1 in which said urinal bowlhas a hollow circular rim and the flushing discharge ports of said bowlcomprise holes extending through the inner wall of said rim, said rimalso including inlet port means to receive water from said flush tanksupply means.

14. The urinal attachment accrding to claim 13 further including aclamping ring complementary to said circular rim of said urinal bowl,interfitting connecting means comprising coengageable slots andprojections formed on said circular rim and clamping ring to detachablyconnect the same together, the upper end of said flexible disposableduct passing circumferentially through said ring and draped over theexterior surface thereof, whereby said upper end of the disposable ductis securely clamped between said ring and circular rim when said ringand rim are connected together as aforesaid.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 105,979 8/1870 Price 4-110266,555 12/1882 Simpson 4-110 1,519,112 12/1924 Burger 4-97 1,650,15511/1927 Randle 4110 2,522,273 9/1950 Johnson 4-l10 2,600,478 6/1952Butcher 4-]10 3,164,186 1/1965 Weber et al. 4-1l0 FOREIGN PATENTS112,180 12/1940 Australia.

LAVERNE D. GEIGER, Primary Examiner.

H. K. ARTIS, Assistant Examiner.

1. A URINAL ATTACHMENT FOR A CONVENTIONAL TOILET BOWL, HAVING A FLUSHTANK MOUNTED ADJACENT THE REAR THEREOF AND CONNECTED THERETO INCONVENTIONAL MANNER TO FLUSH THE BOWL, SAID URINAL ATTACHMENT COMPRISINGIN COMBINATION, A URINAL BOWL HAVING A DISCHARGE OPENING IN THE BOTTOMTHEREOF, BRACKET MEANS TO WHICH SAID URINAL BOWL IS CONNECTED FORSUPPORT THEREBY, MEANS TO SUPPORT SAID BRACKET MEANS ADJACENT SAIDTOILET BOWL AND FLUSH TANK, A